UNC Basketball

Complete coverage of North Carolina Basketball.

UNCW coaches took different paths to common goal

Summer practice for the UNCW men’s basketball team is a chance for Doug Esleeck, Jackie Manuel and Joe Wolf to teach. The three assistants are working to implement C.B. McGrath’s system before the start of his inaugural season. All three men come from different backgrounds. They all approach coaching in diverse ways. But they all want to win. (Wilmington Star News)

UNC Guard Kenny Williams Undergoes Knee Surgery

Kenny Williams, a rising junior guard at UNC, underwent surgery on his right knee on July 7. The Midlothian, Va., native started 22 of the 26 games in which he played as a sophomore, but missed the final 14 games due to a torn meniscus in his right knee. Williams is expected to be ready to participate when pre-season practice begins in October. (GoHeels.com)

Marcus Paige Seizing Summer League Opportunity

Playing in his second Las Vegas Summer League, Marcus Paige is looking to parlay a strong performance into a NBA training camp invitation. “That one year makes a huge difference,” said Paige. Paige has gotten off to a hot start with the Minnesota Timberwolves after first playing with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Orlando Summer League earlier in July. (Inside Carolina)

Clippers' Brice Johnson is looking to make up for lost time

Brice Johnson can’t forget the season he lost. The 6-foot-10 power forward still wonders what might have happened if he hadn’t suffered a herniated disk in his back in an exhibition game in October, still imagines the effect he might have had on the Clippers, who drafted him at No. 25 after a four-year career at North Carolina. “I still think about it,” said Johnson. (Los Angeles Times)

100 days and counting: A look at C.B. McGrath’s start at UNCW

For years, Roy Williams told new UNCW coach C.B.McGrath something he failed to recognize at the time – ‘When you get your first head job, coaching basketball will be about five percent of it.’ Back then, McGrath scoffed at the notion. A hundred days into his first head coaching job, he’s seeing things from a new angle. “That’s the really good five percent,” said McGrath. (Wilmington Star News)

At 40, former Tar Heel Vince Carter makes it 20 years in NBA

Vince Carter isn't quite the physics-defying aerial acrobat he once was, but the man can still play ball. Carter signed on for a 20th NBA season Thursday, agreeing to a 1-year $8 million contract with the Sacramento Kings. For fun - here's some of Vince's highlights from the epic 1 vs 2 battle with Duke at the Smith Center in 1998. (ABC 11)

UNC Returning Player Profile – SG Brandon Robinson

2017-18 Role/Outlook: Kenny Williams will likely be the early-season starter at shooting guard for the Heels. Brandon Robinson, though, will be one of the first of the bench while challenging for the starting role. There is a log jam at wing for UNC with Theo Pinson and grad transfer Cameron Johnson all playing similar roles as Williams and Robinson. (Carolina Blue)

Grading the Lakers and Clippers Summer League players

Brice Johnson: The 2016 first round draft pick dominated against the Lakers. He scored eight fourth quarter points, including a thunderous base line jam after spinning past Lonzo Ball on the block. Johnson finished with 23 points and seven rebounds on 66% shooting, proving that when he’s on, he has the potential to be one of the better young forwards in the NBA. Grade: B+ (Los Angeles Times)

Camp Corral is devoted to providing fun, free activities for the children of disabled, wounded or fallen soldiers. North Carolina is one of 17 states in which the group works. In the Triangle - it has found a partner in former UNC superstar Antawn Jamison. No longer making buckets, Jamison is now focused on making smiles, using his basketball camp to do so. (WTVD)

Vince Carter on leaving Grizzlies: ‘No hard feelings’

Veteran NBA swingman Vince Carter sprinted into the Cox Pavilion much to the delight of the Sacramento Kings, whom the 40-year-old visited Sunday for their Las Vegas summer league game. The Grizzlies watched Carter leave in a flash during free agency when he inked a one-year, $8 million deal to play for the Kings next season. (Memphis Commercial Appeal)

Sacramento Kings Sign Vince Carter

The Sacramento Kings have signed guard-forward Vince Carter, announced Monday by General Manager Vlade Divac. Carter enters his 20th professional season featured prominently in NBA annals; ranking 27th all-time in points scored (24,555), fifth in made three-pointers (2,049), 13th in games played (1,347), 22nd in total minutes (43,135) and 38th in free throws made (4,754). (Sacramento Kings)

Reggie Bullock, Detroit Pistons Agree On Two-Year, $5 Million Deal

Small forward Reggie Bullock will be a Piston for the foreseeable future, as the Detroit Pistons and Bullock agreed on a two-year, $5 million deal to keep the 26-year-old in the Motor City, according to The Vertical’s Shams Charania. Bullock, a 2013 first-round pick, spent the last two seasons in Detroit and averaged 3.9 points per game in that span. (SB Nation)

UNC Returning Player Profile – PG Seventh Woods

2017-18 Outlook: With Joel Berry firmly in place as UNC's starting point guard, Seventh Woods will compete with incoming five-star freshman Jalek Felton for the backup role. Whether he wins the spot or not, Woods should see a lot of the court. Coach Roy Williams tends to play deep into his bench and is not opposed to rolling out two point guards in certain lineups. (Carolina Blue)

Raymond Felton comes from a good lineage

Raymond Felton is the Oklahoma City Thunder’s new backup point guard, and in the vernacular of the HGTV craze, Felton has good bones. He’s a North Carolina Tar Heel. North Carolina point guards have been impacting the NBA for more than half a century. No UNC point guard ever became an NBA superstar, but they’ve been doing more than dotting rosters. (NewsOK.com)

Video: Marcus Paige NBA Sunday Summer League Highlights

Former North Carolina guard Marcus Paige continues to make a strong argument for making an NBA roster this season as he turned in another strong performance on Sunday for the Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League team
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